Cal Gaunt
The parents of Gabby Petito are set to file a $50million ‘wrongful death’ lawsuit against Moab Police Department, Utah.
TwentyTwoWords reports that Nichole Schmidt and Joe Petito believe new court documents prove that Gabby Petito – who was murdered by her boyfriend last year while travelling, before killing himself – would still be alive today had the police not ‘mishandled’ their interaction with the pair weeks before her death.
According to The Guardian, attorneys for the family have said: “If the officers had been properly trained and followed the law, Gabby would still be alive today.
Watch bodycam footage of Utah Police speaking with Gabby Petito…
“Officers failed to recognise the serious danger that she was in, and failed to investigate fully and properly”.
People magazine claim to have a copy of the filing, which alleges the officers ‘failed to recognise the warning signs of domestic violence that placed Petito, 22, at risk for escalating harm’.
Reportedly, the filing alleges that police ‘should have taken the 911 caller’s report – in which the caller reported witnessing Laundrie striking Petito outside a co-operative market – more seriously’.
It apparently also says that the police should have ‘reacted differently’ to an injury to Petito’s cheek, which she said she received when he grabbed her face violently during an argument.
‘Nine Bodies’ Found During Search For Brian Laundrie And Gabby Petito
An independent review of the officers’ actions, commissioned by the city of Moab, found fault with the police saying they had made ‘unintentional mistakes’ that stemmed from officers failing to cite Petito for domestic violence.
A statement said: “The City of Moab sends our sincere condolences to the Petito family. Our hearts go out to them as they continue to deal with the tragic loss of their daughter.”
On September 19, Petito’s body was found on a camping ground in Wyoming. Incidentally, her partner then disappeared and a ‘nationwide manhunt’ was launched.
A county coroner at the time said: “We hereby find the cause and manner of death to be, the cause, death by strangulation, and manner is homicide.
“By Wyoming state statute, no other information will be released about the autopsy.”
Eventually, Laundrie’s body was also discovered near a Florida swamp. He reportedly suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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